Rock Out Special: Kizz Lucia Good Night (a music video show by Jan-Olov Andersson on SVT, 12 Dec 1981)

Jean-Paul Goude : Grace Jones : I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango) (US 1982). Also included in the long-form music video Grace Jones : A One Man Show (US 1982, PC: Spectrum / Universal Pictures, D: Jean-Paul Goude).

Jan-Olov Andersson. SVT 12 Dec 1981. In retrospect, Jan-Olov Andersson was proud of having created "MTV before MTV" in his Rock Out programs (see his 2010 remarks copied in the comments)

If there are two marks after the track, the first is for the music, the second for the image.

Rosa Körberg / Attack: O-aa hela natten (-+)
The Police: Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (o)
The Clash: This Is Radio Clash (o)
Kiss: World Without Heroes (o)
The Rolling Stones: Neighbors (++)
Japan: Visions Of China (o+)
Stray Cats: Little Miss Prissy (+o)
Diana Ross: Why Do Fools Fall In Love (o+) (Ross good-looking)
Kim Wilde: Kids In America (o+) (Wilde good-looking)
Mikael Rickfors: When A Man Loves A Woman (+o)
Devo: Whip It (++) (d: Toni Basil)
ELO: Hold On Tight (++)
Grace Jones: Libertango (I've Seen That Face Before) (++)
Madness: Shut Up! (o)
Specials: Ghost Town (++)
Jim Steinman & Carla De Vito / Meatloaf: Dance In My Pants (++) ("peep show")
Kim Carnes: Bette Davis Eyes (+o)
Landscape: Norman Bates (+)
Depeche Mode: Just Can't Get Enough (+o)
Soft Cell: Tainted Love (+o)
Adam & The Ants: Prince Charming (camp)
Devo: Be Stiff (++) (d: Toni Basil)
David: Boys (Keep Swinging) (++) d: David Mallet
Chrissie Hynde: The Reason We're Here (+o)
Pat Benatar: Fire And Ice (o) good-looking
The Tubes: Suzie Girl (-+) terrible music
Linx: Intuition (++)
Gary U.S. Bonds: This Little Girl (+o)
Simple Minds: Love Song (+o)
Human League: Love Action (+o)
Frank Zappa: You Are What You Is (++)
Rod Stewart: Tonight I'm Yours (++)
Pete Shelley: Homosapien (++)
Tom Petty: Woman In Love (+o)
Earth, Wind & Fire: Let's  Groove  (++)
Spandau Ballet: Paint Me Down (+)
Duran Duran: Careless Memories (-+)
Hall & Oates: Private Eyes (o)
John Foxx: Dancing Like A Gun (o+)
Marianne Faithfull: Sweetheart (++)
ABBA: One Of Us Must Know (--)

Again: the time of the video has arrived. But where will this exploitation lead to. Is it just littering the consciousness.

DECEMBER 1981, STOCKHOLM

Berlin, die Sinfonie der Grossstadt / Berliini: suurkaupungin sinfonia. DE 1927. D: Walther Ruttmann. Filmklubben / Filmhuset. Without the Edmund Meisel music. Fine.
Smultronstället. tv. [5] Revisiting after six years. Weaknesses: the fourth generation; the past too idyllic.
Die Büchse der Pandora / Pandoran lipas. DE 1929. D: G.W. Pabst. Wedekind. Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner. Fkl / Filmstaden. A 150 min presentation [at 16 fps?]. Amazingly contemporary. Louise Brooks has not dated. Weakness: the storyline.
Some Like It Hot. International Youth Center, 16mm. [3]. An apt coincidence to see this on the same evening after Pandora. I saw it for the first time, previously I had only looked at it.
Nick's Movie / Salama veden yllä. SE/DE 1980. D: Wim Wenders [& Nicholas Ray]. Fkl / Fh. Wenders' macabre deathwatch of Ray. Hated it. When Wim's team plans to blow itself up in a Chinese junk, it sound like the suggestion most worthy of support in the entire film. Three good sequences: 1) Nick presents The Lusty Men to a young audience, 2) a small group watches We Can't Go Home Again, 3) Ray directs Kafka's A Report to the Academy.
Här har du ditt liv. tv [2] Feels diluted in comparison with the recollection of ten years ago. I did not see all of the beginning.
Ladri di biciclette / Polkupyörävaras. IT 1948. D: Vittorio De Sica. Fkl / Fst. Worthy of its reputation. Exemplary, admirable in its clarity and wealth. A feeling of a voyage of discovery. Psychologically sensitive. Cf. The Kid by Chaplin.
The Cocoanuts. Fkl / Fh [3] A bad print from Malmö.
While the City Sleeps / Huulipunamurhaaja. US 1955. D: Fritz Lang. tv. A mordant look on sensational journalism. Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, George Sanders, Ida Lupino, James Craig ("pix editor"), Thomas Mitchell (the Irish drunkard), Sally Forrest (DA's fiancée as the bait for the killer). Top of them all: Vincent Price as the corrupt son of the media magnate. The killer (John Barrymore, Jr.) not convincing. The tv screen does not pay justice to L's visual force. L's architecture suffers on the small screen.
Terhi's videos. Many of the same ones as seen in earlier in November and December, plus: David Bowie: Life On Mars? (*). Police: Invisible Sun (*). Ultravox: live footage. Ultravox: Thin Wall (*). The Rolling Stones: Waiting On A Friend (*). Simple Minds: Love Song (*). Duran Duran: Girls On Film. Bow Wow Wow: Chihuahua (?). Pearl Harbor And The Explosions: Drivin' (?) (with Wilko Johnson) (*). Tom Tom Club: Genius Of Love (*). Ry Cooder: Hollywood. The Pretenders live. etc. For the third time: video. Almost overwhelming. The history of the cinema is being plundered, and a lot of new things are being discovered. There is an affinity with the original joy of Méliès.
Die Little Richard Story. DE 1980. D: William Klein. tv. Quite a good biopic. The biographical side is better than in the other similar ones (Elvis, Janis, Hendrix), but the weakness is that the musical performances are not intact.
Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar god jul / Samu Sirkan joulusirkus. tv [2]. Seems to be a Swedish Christmas tradition. The living toys of Santa Claus. Clown of the Jungle (a funny bird dancing the gopak disturbs Donald's photography efforts). Cinderella (the birds and the mice sow the dress). Ferdinand the fight-hating bull. Lady and the Tramp: bella notte. The Jungle Book: Baloo teaches Mowgli to box. The Fox and the Hound (Micke och Molle): their friendship. Snow White: the dwarfs jamming. Robin Hood: robbing the tax catch. Chip and Dale in the henhouse. When You Wish Upon A Star. Hosted by Jiminy Cricket, piano by Mickey Mouse. - When Disney turns really sentimental, its awful (those calculatingly, quasi-shyly blinking eyes), as an anarchist he's at his best.
Sommarnattens leende / Kesäyön hymyilyä. SE 1955. D: Ingmar Bergman. tv. I don't quite get the reputation of this, too calculating. B. balance 36/40.
Assault on Precinct 13 / Hyökkäys poliisiasemalle. US 1976. D: John Carpenter. Laconic, crystallized action cinema. Reminds me more of Siegel than Hawks.
Mutter Krausens Fahrt ins Glück. DE 1929. D: Piel Jutzi. Fkl / Fh. A 150 min presentation, a decent quality of image. Story by Zille, Kollwitz participated. An obvious model for Kuhle Wampe. Realism, a sense of humour, sensuality, finally nihilism, suicide as the "journey to happiness". The thoroughness of the prose style could have been condensed. Kuhle Wampe's taut style may be a reaction to this. Anyway, a treat.
Milka / Milka. FI 1980. D: Rauni Mollberg. Timo K. Mukka. Bostock. The fine feeling for nature helps one stand the terrible drawbacks of the picture. The grouse's courtship. The seasons. The birchwoods. The haymaking. The forestry. The performers of Milka's mother and the Christ-Devil are good. The theatrical, quasi-artistic recitation destroys a lot. Awkward use of close-ups. M. seems to have a big problem with sexuality. A terrible dichotomy of the good/beautiful vs. the bad/ugly.
Häxan. SE 1921. D: Benjamin Christensen. Fkl / Fst. 100 min presentation, a fine, toned print. Amazingly contemporary, with a sense of humour. Might Foucault have seen this, or Resnais (Mon oncle d'Amérique)?
Häxan [2]
That's Entertainment. tv [2] great

MELIES SUCCEFILMER

The Success Films of Méliès. Filmklubben / Filmhuset. Madeleine Malthête-Méliès presented her grandfather's films, with piano music.
Le Voyage dans la lune / Resan till månen
L'Homme-orchestre / Enmansorkestern (*)
L'Oracle de Delphes / Oraklet i Delfi
Le Maître do-mi-so-do / Maestro do-mi-sol-do (*)
Les Hallucinations du baron de Münchhausen / Baron Münchhausen ser i syne (*)
Le Fakir de Singapour / Fakiren från Singapore (*)
L'Homme-mouche / Flugmannen (*)
L'Auberge ensorcelée / Det förtrollade värdshuset
Au clair de la lune / Månskensserenaden
Raid Paris-Monte Carlo en deux heures / Paris-Monte Carlo loppet
Le Rêve du maître de ballet / Balettmästarens dröm (*)
Jack le ramoneur / Sotar-Jack
Le Bourreau turc / Den turkiske bödeln (*)
Satan en prison / Djävulen i fängelse (*)
Many of the films in the three programmes were recently re-discovered, long believed lost. They go to show that cinema in the first person, auteur cinema, is as old as cinema itself. Even ultra-subjective, solipsistic, surrealistic cinema is already here. What a wide variety of tricks. Many films were without colour, many prints were quite bearable, all worth seeing.

MELIES BURLESKER

The Burlesques of Méliès. Filmklubben / Filmhuset. Madeleine Malthête-Méliès presented her grandfather's films, with piano music.
Le Portrait mystérieux / Det mystiska porträttet
La Cardeuse de matelas / Fyllot och madrasskarderskan
Les Cartes animées / De levande spelkorten
Sorcellerie culinaire / Förhäxad kokkonst
Au pays des jouets / Leksakslandet
Patins à roulettes / Rullskridskoåkarna
Le Tripot clandestin / Den olagliga spelhålan
Le Thaumaturge chinois / Den kinesiske trollkarlen (*)
Le Diable noir / Den svarte djävulen (*)
Un homme de têtes / Mannen med de många huvudena (*)
Le Rêve d'un fumeur d'opium / En opiumrökares dröm (*)
Les Affiches en goguette / Affischer på vift (*)
Le merveilleux eventail vivant / Den fantastiska levande solfjädern
La Duche d'eau bouillante / Den kokheta duschen
Eclipse de soleil en pleine lune / Solförmörkelse i månsken
Une chute de cinq étages / Ett fall från femte våningen
Le Cake-walk infernal / Djävulsk cake-walk

I HUVET PÅ MELIES

In the Head of Méliès. Filmklubben / Filmhuset. Madeleine Malthête-Méliès (who looks like her grandmother) presented her grandfather's films, with piano music.
Escamotage d'une dame chez Robert-Houdin / Damen som försvann
L'Impressioniste fin-de-siècle / En modern trollkarl
Après le bal / Efter balen
Les nouvelles luttes extravagantes / Nya extravaganta brottartag
Le Sacre d'Edouard VII / Edvard VII's kröning
Le Mélomane / Musikvurmen (*)
Le Chaudron infernal / Den djävulska kitteln (*)
Le Voyage à travers l'impossible / Resan genom det omöjliga
L'Homme à la tête en caoutchouk / Mannen med gummihuvudet (*)
Le Tentation de Saint Antoine / Sankt Antonius frestelse (*)
Le Roi du maquillage / Maskeringens konung
La Chrysalide et le papillon / Puppan och fjärilen (*)
Faust aux enfers / Fausts resa i underjorden
Dislocation mystérieuse / Fantastiska syner
La Fée carabosse / Sagan om häxan
Le Locataire diabolique / Den demoniske hyresgästen (*)

NOVEMBER 1981, STOCKHOLM

Hitori musuko / The Only Son. JP 1936. D: Yasujiro Ozu. Filmklubben / Filmhuset. I'm starting to discover Ozu, it is easier for me to approach him via the early films.
Prisoner of the Shark Island / Haisaaren vanki. US 1936. D: John Ford. Fkl / Filmstaden. A fine surprise, an important step into Ford's greatest stage. Unjustly convicted for being an accessory to Lincoln's assassination the doctor (Warner Baxter) is thrown into the prison, with John Carradine as the sadistic sergeant. Ford fight lynch justice. The archetypal Griffithian-Fordian conclusion: the homecoming of the now skeletal man.
History of the World Part One / Mieletön maailmanhistoria. US 1981. D: Mel Brooks. Park. I only liked the Inquisition.
Czlowiek z zelaza / Rautamies / The Man of Iron. PL 1981. D: Andrzej Wajda. Fst. Important political gesture, but not as good a film as The Man of Marble.
Третья Мещанская / Säng och soffa / Sänky ja sohva / Bed and Sofa. SU 1927. D: Abram Room. Fkl / Fh. A Swedish print. A surprising mix of Soviet realism and the Lubitsch touch. The film seemed to be a Filmklubben favourite. To be compared with Happiness (Medvedkin) and The Outskirts (Barnet).
This Is Elvis / Kuningas Elvis. US 1981. Malcolm Leo & Andrew Solt. Fst. Colonel Parker's view of his victim.
Körkarlen. Fkl / Fh [2]
Двадцать шесть дней из жизни Достоевского / 26 päivää Dostojevskin elämässä / Twenty Six Days from the Life of Dostoyevsky. SU 1980. D: Alexander Zarhi. tv. The only bright spot: Anatoli Solonitsyn.
Quick Millions. US 1931. D: Rowland Brown. Fkl / Fst. Spencer Tracy as gangster.
Kontrakt / Sopimus / The Contract. D: Krysztof Zanussi. tv. I saw only 30 min, bored.
Fängelse / Vankila. SE 1949. D: Ingmar Bergman. Fkl / Fh. Surprise! His best 1940s film, his first masterpiece. An ironic look at Fyrtiotalismen ("The Forties-ism"). A sovereign grip on the structure. Much better than Törst. A Zeitgeist movie. The devil's rationale to oppose nuclear weapons: "Too easy a solution!"
The Wild One / Vauhtihurjat. US 1953. D: Laslo Benedek. Marlon Brando. Mythic. Brando conceited. Lee Marvin irresistible.
Drums Along the Mohawk / Liekehtivä erämaa. US 1939. D: John Ford. Fkl / Fst. The war of independence. The only Indian who is on the Americans' side is mad. The Englishmen (led by patch-eyed John Carradine) provoke the Indians against the Americans. Claudette Colbert's make-up is too thick in this Technicolor film.
Obchod na korze / Liike pääkadulla / The Shop on Main Street. CZ 1965. D: Jan Kadar & Elmar Klos. tv
Blood Money. US 1933. D: Rowland Brown. Fkl / Fh. George Bancroft as a gangster. A dense and furious gangster movie.
Days of Wine and Roses / Viinin ja ruusujen aika. D: Blake Edwards. tv. Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick as alcoholics. Good satire in the beginning, weak temperance propaganda in the end.
Abel Gance - the Charm of Dynamite. GB 1968. D: Kevin Brownlow. Fkl / Fst. Clips from J'accuse, La Roue, and Napoléon. Brilliant! G. is the missing link from Griffith to Eisenstein. The time of the cinema has arrived.
Man of Aran / Aransaaren mies. GB 1934. D: Robert Flaherty. Fkl / Fst
TV: Rock Out. Edited by Jan Olov Andersson. Frank Zappa: You Are What You Is. Rod Stewart: Tonight I'm Yours. Pete Shelley: Homosapien (*). Tom Petty: Woman In Love. Earth, Wind & Fire: Let's Groove Tonight (*). Spandau Ballet: Paint Me Down. Duran Duran: Callous Memories. Hall & Oates: Private Eyes. John Foxx: Dancing Like A Gun. Marianne Faithfull: Sweetheart. ABBA: One Of Us. - The time of the video has arrived.

OCTOBER 1981, WEST BERLIN, STOCKHOLM

In West Berlin
...
Feast of Friends. US 1970. D: Paul Ferrara. The Doors. Alhambra. Quite good. +
Jimi Plays Berkeley. US 1971. D: Peter Pilafian. ED: Baird Bryant. Alhambra. Quite good. +
Phantom of the Rue Morgue / Der Würger von Paris. US 1954. D: Roy Del Ruth. DF. Alhambra. A nice triple bill: The Doors and Hendrix at their best and a solid midnight horror movie, which I found on the basis of the recommendation of Frank Arnold (in Zitty?). A strange surprise: Buñuel must have seen this, since there are references to it in Ensayo de un crimen and Viridiana.
Rear Window / Takaikkuna. US 1954. D: Alfred Hitchcock. Thalia 2, 16mm. In West Berlin it was possible to see this Peter Vollmann print before the film was re-released after a very long break. The H. masterpiece beside Vertigo.
...
In Stockholm
...
For Your Eyes Only / Erittäin salainen. GB 1981. D: John Glen. Ian Fleming. Roger Moore (James Bond), Carole Bouquet. Ri-Tvåan. The worst Bond movie in the series started by Saltzman and Broccoli.
The Planet of the Apes / Apinoiden planeetta. US 1967. D: Franklin J. Schaffner. Pierre Boulle. Charlton Heston. tv. "In this universe there must be something bigger than man". Time warp, strange planet inhabited by a small population of apes, and finally in the desert H. bumps into the arm of the Statue of Liberty.
Terhi's videos: the super concert in Germany. A Rockpile program directed by Peter Carr (Albert Lee plays with Dave Edmunds). Mink De Ville boring.
Raiders of the Lost Ark / Kadonneen aarteen metsästäjät. US 1981. D: Steven Spielberg. Filmstaden. Not impressed.
The Kid from Spain / Härkätaistelija. US 1932. D: Leo McCarey. Eddie Cantor. Busby Berkeley tv. Good and bad moments.
La ultima cena / The Last Supper. CU 1976. D: Tomas Gutierrez Alea. Filmklubben / Filmstaden. Too much Buñuel imitation at first, but breaks loose later.
Los sobrevivientes / The Survivors. CU 1978. D: Tomas Gutierrez Alea. Fkl / Fst. Dedicated to Buñuel, but becomes terribly bad.
Punkmordet. SE 1981. PC: Slussenfilm. In the repertory of Erkki Astala. Glimpses from underground Stockholm.
The Creature from the Black Lagoon / Mustan laguunin hirviö. US 1954. D: Jack Arnold. Filmstaden, 3D (red / green glasses). There are moments of poetry, starting from the introduction. 3D can be fun when the fish swims towards us or when the harpoon rushes towards the camera.

SEPTEMBER 1981, STOCKHOLM, MUNICH

Luchino Visconti: Ossessione (IT 1943) with Clara Calamai and Massimo Girotti. Visiting Münchner Filmmuseum I saw this masterpiece for the first time. I was surprised by the low contrast and the worn quality. Little did I know that that's all there is. The still looks better than the surviving film.

Sleep, My Love / Pisara myrkkyä. US 1948. D: Douglas Sirk. Fkl / Fst. A ghostly atmosphere of nightmare and distrust. Claudette Colbert, Robert Cummings, Don Ameche, George Coulouris, Raymond Burr. Hazel Brooks a comical vamp.
Imitation of Life / Suurinta elämässä. US 1958. D: Douglas Sirk. Fkl / Fh. My Sirk favourite. Lana Turner.
Magnificent Obsession / Lääkärin omatunto. US 1954. D: Douglas Sirk. Fkl / Fh. I sensed the parodic quite strongly. Rock Hudson, Jane Wyman. The bright pop colour.
Der Gang in die Nacht. DE 1920. D: F. W. Murnau. Fkl / Fh. Recently discovered, long believed lost. Memorable images: the blind painter Conrad Veidt stands in the boat that is being rowed to the coast. The blind Veidt leans on his arm, the empty canvas behind him.
A Woman's Secret / Kiinnitys elämään. US 1949. D: Nicholas Ray. Fkl / Fh. Melvyn Douglas, Maureen O'Hara. The director's touch hardly evident. Good dialogue.
The Barefoot Contessa / Paljasjalkakreivitär. US 1954. D: Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Ava Gardner. tv. On tv the excessive talk is emphasized. The Reverse Cinderella: the countess who wants to dance barefoot.
A Time to Love, a Time to Die / Rakasta tänään, huomenna... US 1958. D: Douglas Sirk. Remarque. Fkl / Fst. Not quite convincing.
Phantom / Fantom. DE 1922. D: F. W. Murnau. Fkl / Fst. Great visuals, hallucinations and delirium fits, but Alfred Abel is not interesting enough.
Captain Lightfoot / Kaikki puolestasi. US 1954. D: Douglas Sirk. Rock Hudson (Lightfoot), Jeff Morrow (Thunderbolt). Fkl / Fh. Not impressed. Irish rebel swashbucklers of the early 19th century.
Don't Look Back / Älä katso taaksesi. US 1967. D.A. Pennebaker. Bob Dylan. Fkl / Fh. Invaluable.
Pather panchali / Tien laulu. In 1955. D: Satyajit Ray. Fkl / Fh. In the middle of this I started to discover S.J.
Der brennende Acker / Palava pelto. DE 1922. D: F. W. Murnau. Long believed lost, just recently found. Fkl / Fh. Can be compared with Zvenigora and Sibiriade: the tale of the field of legends. Beneath it, oil is found.
Москва слезам не верит / Moskova ei usko kyyneliin / Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears. SU 1980. D: Vladimir Menchov. Astoria. Disappointing, a mediocre touch to an interesting subject of the three women and their fates. The saving grace: Aleksei Batalov's character, one of those accusing figures in the Soviet cinema of the age.
Dyrygent / Orkesterinjohtaja / Dirigenten / The Conductor. PL 1980. D: Andrzej Wajda. John Gielgud. Fst. Moderately good. The emigrant conductor's visit to his home country.
...
In Munich
I spent a week in a German language bath during the Oktoberfest. I lived in Schwabing and visited the Alps and Ludwig's fairy-tale castles. I spent all my money at the fabulous Filmland bookstore, buying treasures such as the complete version of Lotte H. Eisner's Murnau monograph which existed only in German.
...
Ossessione / Riivaajat. IT 1942. D: Luchino Visconti. Münchner Filmmuseum. In Italian without translation. A full print but from a worn and low contrast source. V. had the grip from the start.
Rock Around the Clock / Tunnista tuntiin. US 1956. D: Fred F. Sears. Bill Haley & His Comets. Münchner Filmmuseum. Ever worse than I had expected. The only bright thing: The Platters performing The Great Pretender and Only You. Tony Williams's tenor reaches unbelievable layers of madness.
Cameo Kirby / Kuohuvaa verta. US 1923. D: John Ford. Münchner Filmmuseum. A print in Czech. Probably not an especially good film, but could I help liking it? The style brings to mind Griffith, Sjöström, and Murnau. The tale of Mississippi, a steamboat gambler (John Gilbert). Certain scenes are very beautiful.
+ [?North of the Hudson Bay?. US 1923. D: John Ford. Münchner Filmmuseum. May I have seen fragments of this Tom Mix film written by Jules Furthman on 26 Sep 1981 in Munich?]
Im Lauf der Zeit. DE 1975. D: Wim Wenders. tv. I didn't get it this time.
Lola / Lola. DE 1981. D: R. W. Fassbinder. Marmorhalle. I wasn't moved.
The Misfits / Nicht gesellschafsfähig. tv. DF = Deutsche Fassung. [X]

AUGUST 1981, STOCKHOLM

The Postman Always Rings Twice / Postimies soittaa aina kahdesti. US 1981. D: Bob Rafelson. James M. Cain. Jack Nicholson, Jessica Lange. Sandrew. Well made but futile, no match to Visconti.
Korpinpolska / Korpens polska / The Raven Dance. FI/SE 1980. D: Markku Lehmuskallio. The nature cinematography felt especially exquisite seen abroad.
Don Giovanni / Don Giovanni. FR/IT/EN/DE 1979. D: Joseph Losey. W.A. Mozart. Fst / Sf. Maybe I was not in the mood for it. Was this just a copy of two visions: Bergman's Trollflöjten and Fellini's Casanova? But I'm grateful for the opportunity to experience Mozart's work for the first time.
Aktorzy prowincjonalni / Maaseututeatterin näyttelijät / Provincial Actors. PL 1979. D: Agnieszka Holland. Fst / Sf. A strong touch of critique of the power system, but no match to Wajda, Kieslowski, Zanussi.
Heaven's Gate / Portti ikuisuuteen. US 1981. D: Michael Cimino. Rigoletto. Short 150 min version. Magnificent imagery, but there is not enough depth in the characters except Kristoffersson.
Der amerikanische Freund / Amerikkalainen ystävä / The American Friend. DE 1977. D: Wim Wenders. Fst / Sf. Trains he can handle. Ganz is good. Hopper too conceited.
Wodzirej / Pyrkyri / Top Dog. PL 1978. D: Feliks Falk. Jerzy Stuhr. tv. Stuhr is great in another virulent critique of the Polish power structure.
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty / Hurjimus. US 1947. D: Norman Z. McLeod. Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo. tv. Kaye is not great, and McLeod is not a master, but there is a bonanza of satire of the culture industy. And endless jungle of juicy material.
Враги / Viholliset / Fienderna / Enemies. SU 1977. D: Rodion Nahapetov. Gorky. Innokenti Smoktunovsky, Yelena Solovey. tv. Surprisingly high quality drama adaptation. The end disappoints, it fails to bring the tensions to a satisfactory conclusion.
Le Jour se lève / Varjojen yö. FR 1939. D: Marcel Carné. Gabin, Jules Berry, Arletty. Fst / Sf. Brilliant. During one night Gabin relives his past in a house surrounded by the police.
Panny z Wilka / Kartanon neidot / The Young Ladies of Wilko. PL 1979. D: Andrzej Wajda. Fst / Sf. An ok small film story, better than Brzezina.
Hra v jablku / Omenaleikki. CZ 1976. D: Vera Chytilová. Fst / Sf. I prefer this to Sedmikrasky. Dagmar Blahova wonderful.
Young and Innocent / Nuori ja viaton. GB 1937. D: Alfred Hitchcock. Fst / Sf. Brit Hitch at his best.
Night After Night. US 1932. D: Archie Mayo. Fkl / Fst. George Raft good as the conceited gangster. Mae West's film debut, but women are in the background in this movie.
Cleopatra / Kleopatra. GB/US/CH 1963. D: Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Taylor, Burton, Harrison. Fkl / Fh. The 200 min version. Harrison great as Caesar, some fantastic scenes of spectacle, I was very disappointed with Taylor.
I'm No Angel / En ole enkeli. US 1933. D: Wesley Ruggles. Mae West, Cary Grant. Fkl / Fh. Mae West is an auteur. I love her stuff.
Goin' to Town / Glada änkas miljoner. US 1935. D: Alexander Hall. Fkl / Fst. Mae West in the Wild West.
The Edge of the City / Miehen mitta. US 1956. D: Martin Ritt. John Cassavetes, Sidney Poitier. tv. A sweat-dripping stockyard melodrama.

JULY 1981, STOCKHOLM

The Trials of Alger Hiss / Alger Hissin oikeudenkäynnit. US 1979. D: John Lowenthal. doc. Fst / Sommarfestival. In the league of de Antonio, Hiss's lawyer uses the freshly opened CIA and FBI files to prove that Hiss, accused of spying for the USSR and convicted of perjury in 1951, was innocent. The Soviet archives that were opened later also had no evidence of Hiss having been a spy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alger_Hiss
The Day the Earth Stood Still. tv [2]
The Horse Soldiers / Ratsuväen urhot. US 1959. D: John Ford. tv. His only Civil War movie, anti-war. Wayne is a railway builder who has to destroy his own work. Holden is a medical officer. Constance Towers is a Southern woman.
The Producers / Kevät koittaa Hitlerille. US 1968. D: Mel Brooks. Fst. Too tired, I fell asleep.
La Spirale. FR 1976. D: Armand Mattelart, Jacqueline Meppiel, Valérie Mayoux, Chris Marker, Silvio Tendler, Pierre Flament. tv. On Chile, familiar images, comprehensive. New: the analysis of media.
Ök ketten / Heitä on kaksi / Marie och Julie / The Two of Them. HU 1977. D: Márta Mészárós. Fst / Sf. Psychological sensitivity, a lack of urgency.
Radio On. Fst / Sf. [2] Gets better.
Renaldo and Clara. US 1978. D: Bob Dylan. tv. Too scattered but strangely compelling four-hour movie. When I Paint My Masterpiece. Isis. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall. It Ain't Me Babe. Knockin' On Heaven's Door. Hurricane. Romance In Durango. One Too Many Mornings. She Belongs To Me. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry. The House Of The Rising Sun. One More Cup Of Coffee. Sara. Catfish. Suzanne. Sad-Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands. Tangled Up In Blue (*). Just Like A Woman. In The Morning Of My Life. Ballad In Plain D. Kaw-Liga. Eight Miles High. Makes one appreciate Pennebaker more.
Wise Blood / Levoton veri. US 1979. D: John Huston. Flannery O'Connor. Fst / Sf. He's still got the talent for taut film-making, but I don't like the nihilism.
55 Days in Peking / 55 päivää Pekingissä. US 1963. D: Nicholas Ray. tv. I don't wonder if the director woke up screaming. The only bright things: Ava Gardner and the self-evident Charlton Heston.
Bez znieczulenia / Ilman puudutusta / Without Anesthesia. PL 1978. D: Andrzej Wajda. Starring Zbigniew Zapasiewicz, the official cynic in Polish films. Fst / Sf. Equally good as The Man of Marble, more limited but better in dramatic construction. The film was surprisingly different from what I had read. This is the portrait of an opportunist. Previously he has been supported by all, now by none.
National Lampoon's Animal House / Delta-jengi. US 1978. D: John Landis. Göta Lejon. Farce galore.
THX 1138 / THX 1138. US 1971. D: George Lucas. tv. Incredibly boring.

JUNE 1981, STOCKHOLM

A King in New York / Kuningas New Yorkissa. GB 1957. Charles Chaplin. tv. I was prepared for disappointment but was happily surprised, instead. A new gear for C. First person cinema, direct cinema in a unique way. The best is not in the gags but in the touches: looks, gestures, not acting. His last masterpiece.
Silk Stockings / Silkkisukat. US 1956. D: Rouben Mamoulian. Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse. Filmklubben / Filmhuset. It is ruthless to compare this with Ninotchka.
Carrie. US 1976. Brian De Palma. Stephen King. Rialto. Well made telekinetic horror, but crude, I was not particularly impressed.
Nine to Five / Yhdeksästä viiteen. D: Colin Higgins. Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin. Park. A women's feelgood movie, obvious.
Gösta Berlings saga / Gösta Berlingin taru. SE 1924. D: Mauritz Stiller. Selma Lagerlöf. Greta Garbo. Fkl / Fh. Majestic, magnificent. Lars Hanson's ardent sermon. The Devil among the Cavaliers. The wolfpack chasing Garbo and Hanson on the frozen lake. The mansion on fire.
Ma nuit chez Maud / Yöni Maudin luona. FR 1969. D: Eric Rohmer. Fkl / Fh. My favourite R. Admirable focus and clarity. Both realistic and mythical.
Sous les toits de Paris / Pariisin kattojen alla. FR 1930. D: René Clair. Fkl / Fh. Clair felt dated.
Prova d'orchestra. tv [2] Keeps getting better.
A Damsel in Distress /En flicka i knipa / Neitonen ahdingossa. US 1937. D: George Stevens. P.G. Wodehouse. Fred Astaire, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Joan Fontaine. Fkl / Fh. The only bright element: the dances of Astaire: in the fairground, by the moonlit river, the dance which is a drum solo.
Tales of Terror. US 1962. D: Roger Corman. Fkl / Fst. I Morella (Vincent Price, Leona Gage). II The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar (Price, Basil Rathbone, Debra Paget). III The Black Cat (Peter Lorre, Price, Joyce Jameson). Yuck!
Berlin Alexanderplatz. DE 1980. D: R.W. Fassbinder. Alfred Döblin. Günter Lamprecht. tv. some 3-4 episodes
Berlin-Alexanderplatz. DE 1931. D: Phil Jutzi. Alfred Döblin. Heinrich George. tv. I preferred this version at the time.
San Francisco / San Franciscon maanjäristys. US 1936. D: W.S. Van Dyke. Gable, McDonald, Tracy. Fkl / Fst. The MGM studio splendour. Two thirds are about the merry old Frisco with its vices. Then the earthquake, and Gable's religious conversion.
The Raven / Korppi. US 1962. D: Roger Corman. Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson. Fkl / Fst. Very modest.
Perceval le Gallois. FR 1979. D: Eric Rohmer. Fkl / Fh. It failed to move me, but maybe I was in the wrong mood, and the language was difficult.
The Big Heat / Gangsterikuningas. US 1953. D: Fritz Lang. tv. Masterpiece, my favourite American FL film at the time.
Калина красная / Punainen heisipuu / The Red Snowball Tree. Fst / Sommarfestivalen [3] Gets better.
Roma. Nya Ritz [2] This gets better, too, many details I had forgotten. Maybe too scattered.
The Public Enemy / Yhteiskunnan vihollinen. US 1931. D: William A. Wellman. James Cagney, Jean Harlow. Fst / Sf. Cagney is tough. Harlow, too, is tough. The grapefruit act is tough. Especially the shock ending is tough.

MAY 1981, WEST BERLIN AND STOCKHOLM

Christiane F - wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo / Christiane F - isku suoraan suoneen. DE 1981. D: Ulrich Edel. Marmorhaus, West Berlin. Boring
Desperado City. DE 1981. D: Vadim Glowna. Filmkunst 66, West Berlin. Boring.
...
Back to Stockholm
Bus Stop. tv [4]. Seems to work well on tv, feels quicker, pan-scan does not harm.
The Man I Killed / Särkynyt sävel. US 1932. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Fkl / Fh. A strange L. film. The man who becomes the double of the one he killed. In the phenomenology of the cinema this belongs to the chapter on Conscience.
Trouble in Paradise. US 1932. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Fkl / Fh. Might this not be quite as brilliant as they say, or maybe I was not in the best mood for this. Dazzling but too thin.
Design for Living / Meidän herrojen kesken. US 1933. D: Ernst Lubitsch. A fascinating precursor of Jules et Jim. The two friends who love the same woman, yet stay friends. Also this felt too thin.
Caprice / Caprice - vaarallinen oikku. US 1967. D: Frank Tashlin. Doris Day. Fkl / Fst. A boring agent parody. Poor Tashlin.
The Merry Widow / Iloinen leski. US 1934. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Fkl / Fh. Marvellous, maybe the best L. film, one of the highlights of the year besides The Wedding March and Vertigo. *
Peeping Tom. GB 1960. D: Michael Powell. The film as a mortal dream.
La Danse de mort / Kuolemantanssi. FR 1948. D: Marcel Cravenne. Strindberg. Erich von Stroheim, Denise Vernac. The prison island as a symbol of the world. The breath that can be seen in the freezing air.
Angel / Yön enkeli. US 1937. D: Ernst Lubitsch. A L. favourite of mine. The profound darkness beneath the froth.
Secret Agent / Salainen asiamies. GB 1936. D: Alfred Hitchcock. Fkl / Fst. A light suspense film switches abruptly into tragedy as Gielgud and Lorre assassinate the wrong man. Robert Young one of the memorable H. villains. Important clarification of essential moral grounds.
TV: Jerry Williams: Rockrullen. Chuck Berry: Memphis, Tennessee. Jerry Lee Lewis: Great Balls Of Fire. Ruth Brown: Tears Keep Tumbling Down. Fats Domino: Honey Chile [...Hold That Kiss...]. The Moonglows: Over And Over Again. The Coasters: What Is The Secret Of Your Success (*). Johnny Burnette: Lonesome Train. Carl Perkins: Glad All Over. Elvis: Blue Suede Shoes.
Ninotchka / Ninotchka. US 1939. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Greta Garbo. Fkl / Fh. Perfect.
Rude Boy / Rude Boy. GB 1980. D: Jack Hazan & David Mingay. The Clash. Filmstaden.
The Shop Around the Corner / Pieni myymälä. US 1940. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Fkl / Fh. L. does not convince me in the land of romance.
Nashville / Nashville. US 1975. D: Robert Altman. Fkl / Fh. Great, loose yet full of intensity, Nashville as a microcosm.
To Be Or Not To Be. Fkl / Fh [2] A print dubbed in German. - One of my five L. favourites. Incredibly brilliantly constructed. The characters keep changing their roles, yet keep going in their varying strategies. The ham actors are more credible playing Gestapo than Gestapo itself, because they are afraid to unmask the big fraud. The trick by which they finally outwit Gestapo is the greatest ever. - For the first time I understood this film.
Fadren. SE 1911. D: Anna Hoffman-Uddgren. Strindberg. Fkl / Fst. Just a record of a theatrical performance.
Fadern / Isä. SE 1969. D: Alf Sjöberg. Strindberg. Fkl / Fst. Somehow it had it all, but an urgent spirit was missing.
Herr Puntila och hans dräng Matti. tv. [2] Unlike Sjöberg, Långbacka hasn't it all, but Pöysti's magnificent outburst makes one forget about it. Something wild and wonderful.
Roman Holiday / Loma Roomassa. US 1953. D: William Wyler. Audrey Hepburn. Brilliant but a little empty.
The Wolf Man. US 1941. D: George Waggner. Lon Chaney, Jr. Fkl / Fst. Good actors, good art direction. It is not us vs. them. The dividing line goes through the monster, he is both himself and something else.
The Conversation / Keskustelu. US 1974. D: Francis Ford Coppola. tv
Meet Me In St. Louis / Tyttö ja kosija. US 1944. D: Vincente Minnelli. Fkl / Fh.
Let's Make Love. tv [2]
The Day the Earth Stood Still / Uhkavaatimus Maalle. US 1951. D: Robert Wise. Fkl / Fst. If we don't stop playing with nuclear power they must unfortunately destroy us.
Lili Marleen / Lili Marleen. DE 1981. D: R.W. Fassbinder. Cinema
Beat the Devil / Afrikan aarre. GB/US/IT 1953. D: John Huston. Fkl / Fst. A wonderful ensemble. I have to agree with PvB: "slackerhood perceived as Weltanschauung". Men of action who don't act.
TV: Jerry Williams: Rockrullen. Chuck Berry's bus in Let The Good Times Roll. Chuck Berry: Little Queenie (*). Richie Valens: Ooh My Head (Alan Freed). Buddy Holly: Peggy Sue (tv 1957). Buddy Holly: Oh Boy (tv 1958). Lewis Lymon & The Teen Chords: Your Life's Chance (*). Elvis: Heartbreak Hotel. Elvis: Hound Dog (1956). Chuck Berry & Bo Diddley: Johnny B. Goode (Let The Good Times Roll).
Live and Let Die. Kvartersbion. [2] Recycling other cultures. The soul discotheques of Harlem, the voodoo cult of Haiti, Bayou country. This was the big collapse in the continuum of the Bond movies.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame / Notre Damen kellonsoittaja. US 1939. D: William Dieterle. Fkl / Fst. Charles Laughton is great.


* The Merry Widow (Ernst Lubitsch) - the funniest telegram in film history.
Bits from the telegram to the Marshovian Ambassador in Paris Popoff (Edward Everett Horton).
"Darling" = "You are the greatest idiot in the diplomatic service".
"Next word: Lilac Time" (having heard this Horton asks to remove the poison bottle).
"She must be married now. Act quickly. Be brilliant. Meet crisis. Kill rumors. Admit nothing. Deny everything. Evade issues. Face facts. Stand pat. Something must be done. Do it. Do it now. What are you waiting for?"
"Darling!"

APRIL 1981, STOCKHOLM AND WEST BERLIN

Sumurun / Sumurun. DE 1920. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Filmklubben / Filmhuset. A dazzling print. Looks fantastic, but the story does not work so well.
The Tales of Hoffmann / Hoffmannin seikkailut. GB 1951. Powell & Pressburger. Jacques Offenbach. Fkl / Fh. Great, a phenomenological odyssey.
Anna Boleyn / Anna Boleyn. DE 1920. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Fkl / Fh. A full two-hour print, visual quality duped. A perfect production, but L. does not seem to have much to say.
Die Bergkatze / Vuorikissa. DE 1921. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Fkl / Fh. An 95 min presentation, visual quality tolerable. An absolute L. favourite of mine, Pola Negri in great comedy form.
Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari. Fkl /Fh. [3] After 10 years gets stronger, feels even topical. Conrad Veidt is unforgettable as the sleepwalker.
Das Weib des Pharao / Faaraon vaimo. DE 1922. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Fkl / Fh. A 65 min compilation of a two-hour film, with texts in missing sequences, visual quality brilliant. A great spectacle, but the story is banal.
Rosita / Rosita. US 1923. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Mary Pickford. Fkl / Fh. A 100 min presentation of a Russian-language print, apparently shortened, I found the visual quality bearable (?). I liked it more than Dubarry, Boleyn, and Pharao. The Toledo carneval: might Bakhtin have seen this? My first Mary Pickford movie.
The Marriage Circle / Avioliiton ilveilyä. US 1924. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Fkl / Fh. A 110 min presentation of an apparently complete version but with a gray, low-contrast image. The total change of tack. Instead of spectacle, there is a focus on the essentials. Monte Blue seemed too childish, Florence Vidor wonderful.
Fun in Acapulco / Rytmiä ja riemua Acapulcossa. US 1963. D: Richard Thorpe. Elvis Presley, Ursula Andress. tv. The former trapeze artists now suffers from acrophobia.
The Elephant Man / Elefanttimies. GB/US 1980. D: David Lynch. John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins. Grand. An impressive mise-en-scène. The burning gas everywhere. The monster is believably unbelievable.
The Red Shoes / Punaiset kengät. GB 1948. Powell & Pressburger. H.C. Andersen. Fkl / Fh. Andersen's idea has been elaborated in a way that brings to mind Thomas Mann. The tragedy of art, the affinity of art to death.
The Edge of the World. GB 1937. D: Michael Powell. Half-doc. Fkl / Fh. The island in the Atlantic, the incredible waves, apparently inspired by Flaherty.
The Lion Has Wings. GB 1939. D: Michael Powell, Brian Desmond Hurst, Adrian Brunel. Fkl / Fh. Restrained war propaganda in the British style. It is nice to spot Ian Fleming, who resembles Bernard Lee as M.
Cristo si è fermato a Eboli 1 / Kristus pysähty Eboliin 1. IT/FR 1979. D: Francesco Rosi. tv. I was not impressed by the first episode.
Hellzapoppin / Hullunmyllyssä. US 1941. D: H.C. Potter. Filmstaden. A comedy for pure laughter only.
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Poison. US 1958. D: Alfred Hitchcock. Wendell Corey and the poisonous krait reptile.
Monsieur Verdoux / Ritari Siniparta. US 1947. D: Charles Chaplin. tv. Verdoux's wife is lame, as the City Lights girl was blind. The moment of truth when Verdoux tells Marilyn Nash about the great economic crash, how he woke up and realized that he had been living in a dream world. Fun with Martha Raye, the girl he could not put away (also the insatiable woman in Hellzapoppin). Horrible ironies, catharthic in the end. I found this greater than The Great Dictator and Limelight.
Sullivan's Travels / Nauru kahleiden takana. US 1941. D: Preston Sturges. Joel McCrea. Fkl / Fst. A parody of social consciousness in Hollywood.
Lady Windermere's Fan / Hänen suurin kiusauksensa. US 1925. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Fkl / Fh. A fine print, a 110 min presentation. One of the very greatest L. films. How tensions are built and how they are suddenly condensed in a single gesture.
The Thief of Bagdad / Bagdadin varas. GB 1940. D: Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger, Tim Whelan. Fkl / Fh. Maybe I was not in the right mood for this.
49th Parallel / Pako. GB 1941. D: Michael Powell. Fkl / Fh. A great thriller, taut like Hitchcock, yet original. A team of Nazis flees through Canada to the USA. The episodes grow into a cross section of Canada.
Engel aus Eisen. DE 1981. D: Thomas Brasch. Cinema Paris, West Berlin. Boring.
Vertigo / Vertigo - punainen kyynel. US 1958. D: Alfred Hitchcock. Thalia 2, West Berlin, 16mm. Before the official re-release it was possible to see Peter Vollmann's print of Vertigo in West Berlin, it was maybe 10 min shortened, but not jarringly, and the colour seemed right. For the first time, mind-blowing.

The First Films

De första filmerna.
Filmklubben / Filmstaden 1 April 1981
...

Lumière ca 1895, ca 10 min:
La Sortie des usines
Le Repas de bébé
Démolition d'un mur
L'Arroseur arrosé
L'Arrivée des congressistes
L'Arrivée d'un train à la Ciotat
Partie d'écarté
Barque sortant du port
...

Méliès (wonderful colour prints):
Le Voyage à travers l'impossible (1904) [2]
Le Chaudron infernal (1907)
Le Locataire diabolique (1909 ...

miserable prints:
A Corner in Wheat (1909, D. W. Griffith)
The Great Train Robbery (1903, Edwin S. Porter)
Rescued from an Eagle's Nest (1903, Porter, a laughable eagle)
...
Cops. Keaton [3]
The Immigrant. Chaplin [3]

MARCH 1981, STOCKHOLM

Painters Painting. US 1973. D: Emile de Antonio. Filmklubben / Filmhuset. Unexpectedly powerful. Barnett Newman, Willem de Kooning, Frank Stella, Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Robert Scull (the dealer piranha), Leo Castelli (the asshole). A seminal film of the 1970s
Notorious. Fkl / Fst. [3] Bad print, ingenious film.
The Horror Show. US 1978. D: Richard Schickel. Palladium. CBS compilation in theatrical distribution. Strong scenes from The Phantom of the Opera (Chaney), Island of Lost Souls (Laughton), Frankenstein (Karloff), Creature from the Black Lagoon, etc. Many strange moments.
Ensayo de un crimen. MX 1955. D: Luis Buñuel. Fkl / Fh. Surprise: a key film, ironic, black comedy, the precursor of B's late work.
Under Capricorn / Kauriin merkeissä. GB 1949. D: Alfred Hitchcock. Ingrid Bergman. Fkl / Fst. Lauded by Rohmer and Chabrol, maybe not quite so great.
Der Stolz der Firma. DE 1914. D: Carl Wilhelm. Ernst Lubitsch. Fkl / Fh. Not impressed.
Fräulein Piccolo. DE 1914. D: Franz Hofer. Ernst Lubitsch. Fkl / Fh. Not impressed.
Schuhpalast Pinkus. DE 1916. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Fkl / Fh. Not impressed.
Wenn vier dasselbe tun. DE 1917. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Fkl / Fh. Not impressed.
The Young One / Neitsytsaari. MX/US 1960. D: Luis Buñuel. Fkl / Fh. Original in English. A little masterpiece.
Kaze no naka no mendoori / A Hen in the Wind. JP 1948. D: Yasujiro Ozu. Fkl / Fh. I'm still struggling to get Ozu. His earlier films like this are easier to access, as the narration is more concrete, more dense.
Ein fideles Gefängnis. DE 1917. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Fkl / Fh. Not impressed.
Ich möchte kein Mann sein. DE 1918. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Fkl / Fh. Not impressed. Having seen many weak early L. films I missed the charm of this, too.
Die Augen der Mumie Ma. DE 1918. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Fkl / Fh. A bad print. Not impressed.
Carmen. DE 1918. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Pola Negri. Fkl / Fh. A good print, screening of 85 min. In this film I experienced the L. touch at its earliest.
Die Austernprinzessin / Osteriprinsessa. DE 1919. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Ossi Oswalda. Fkl / Fh. A worn print but full length. Funny, fantastic satire.
Dracula / Kreivi Dracula. GB 1973. D: Dan Curtis. Jack Palance. Saw part. tv. Not impressed.
Intolerance / Suvaitsemattomuus. US 1916. D: D.W. Griffith. Fkl / Fh. A toned print, screening of 165 min. Impressed me much stronger than The Birth of a Nation. Crazily ambitious, with a sense of humour.
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex *But Were Afraid to Ask / Mitä kaikkea oletkaan aina halunnut tietää seksistä *mutta et ole uskaltanut kysyä. US 1972. D: Woody Allen. Rigoletto. Another surprise. My favourite W.A. besides Annie Hall. Great parodies of film styles: 1: the court jester (costume drama), 2: the hungry wolf (en glupsk varg) (Italian story of alienation), 3: the lamb (Love Story), 4: the man in drag (empathy), 5: What's Your Perversion? (tv commercial and a sponsored tv show), 6: the mammoth breast (science fiction), 7: the machine room (a nature documentary).
Madame Dubarry / Madame Dubarry. DE 1919. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Pola Negri. Fkl / Fh. A worn but almost full-length print. History is not the forte of L.
Nihon no yoru to kiri / Night and Fog in Japan. JP 1960. D: Nagisa Oshima. Fkl / Fh. Not impressed.
Die Puppe / Nukke. DE 1919. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Ossi Oswalda. Fkl / Fh. A worn but full-length print. Fantastic, charming, moving.
Party Girl / Chicagon yöperhoset. US 1958. D: Nicholas Ray. Cyd Charisse. Fkl / Fh. Ray meets the hard MGM glamour.
Kohlhiesels Töchter. DE 1920. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Henny Porten. Fkl / Fh. A very worn print. A broad Bavarian farce. Laughter non stop.
Cabiria / Cabiria. IT 1914. D: Giovanni Pastrone. Bartolomeo Pagano (Maciste). Fkl / Fh. A fine print from the vintage Swedish-titled version. An astounding mastodont film, better than its reputation, but not in the class of Griffith.
Romeo und Julia im Schnee. DE 1920. D: Ernst Lubitsch. Fkl / Fh. A good print. Another broad Bavarian farce, and another laughter success.

FEBRUARY 1981, STOCKHOLM

The Patsy. (tv) [2] Not as funny the second time, I felt the sadness, instead. Essential Jerry Lewis, anyway.
Der Golem - wie er in die Welt kam / Golem - miten hän tuli maailmaan. DE 1920. D: Paul Wegener & Carl Boese. Filmklubben / Filmstaden. A masterpiece, in full command of the legend.
TV: Hit Service. Slade: Coz I Luv You. Little Feat: Oh Atlanta. The Troggs: With A Girl Like You (Berlin). Boz Scaggs: You Can Have Me Anytime. Robert Gordon: It's Only Make-Believe. The Hollies: The Day That Curly Billy Shot Down Crazy Sam McGee.
Privilege / Tänään huipulla. GB 1967. D: Peter Watkins. Paul Jones (vocalist and harmonica player of Manfred Mann), Jean Shrimpton. Fkl / Filmhuset. Interesting concept, fails to move.
Europa '51. IT 1952. D: Roberto Rossellini. Ingrid Bergman. Fkl / Fh. English version. R's boldest film, brought to mind Tolstoy (Resurrection).
Schatten - eine nächtliche Halluzination / Varjoja - öinen harhakuva. DE 1922. D: Arthur Robison. Fkl / Fst. A bad Yugoslavian print. Fascinating concept: shadows play out the hidden desires. How well this was realized was impossible to tell as the print was so bad.
TV: Hit Service. Leo Sayer: More Than I Can Say. Delaney & Bonnie: Poor Elaine. Peter & Gordeon: World Without Love. Graham Parker: Stupefaction (1980). Frankie Avalon: Teacher's Pet. Deep Purple: Fireball.
El bruto. MX 1952. D: Luis Buñuel. Fkl / Fh. Pedro Armendáriz and Katy Jurado are great.
Les Bruits du monde, les cris de la solitude / Tystnaden - den finns inte. FR 1978. D: Robert Manthoulis & Claude Fléouter. Doc. tv. Fine, inventive, creative film-making, theme: sound. I saw but a part.
The Blues Brothers / The Blues Brothers. US 1980. D: John Landis. Lyran. Some of my favourite music and performers.
Na samotě u lesa / Pakopaikka metsikössä / Sommarstället / Seclusion Near a Forest. CZ 1976. D: Jiří Menzel. Filmstaden. Not as good as Rozmarne leto but better than Bajecni muzni s klikou.
City Lights. tv [2] My absolute C. favourite. The millionaire who recognizes the tramp only when drunk. The girl who recognizes him only as long as she's blind.
Easy Rider / Easy Rider - matkalla. US 1969. D: Dennis Hopper. Victoria. Unexpectedly a small masterpiece. A clarity and ruthlessness of vision. The American odyssey as a death trip.
India. FR/IT 1959. D: Roberto Rossellini. Fkl / Fst. I was not yet ready for India.
The Court Jester / Hovinarri. US 1956. D: Norman Panama & Melvin Frank. Danny Kaye, Glynis Johns. tv. I wasn't impressed. Funny: the outlaws are portrayed by children, and the lady is the only man of the story.
Amator / Amatööri / Camera Buff. PL 1979. D: Krzysztof Kieslowski. Filmstaden. One of the best of the contemporary Polish films besides The Man of Marble and Camouflage. Here scenes that seem random grow into a tight and rich whole. Multidimensional yet not confused.
La ilusion viaja en tranvia. MX 1953. D: Luis Buñuel. Fkl / Fh. A light, sympathetic story. A sense of humour and a feeling for the ensemble.
Il generale della Rovere / Kenraali della Rovere. IT 1959. D: Roberto Rossellini. Vittorio De Sica. Fkl / Fh. Clearly different from R's earlier films, missing a sense of urgency.
Era notte a Roma / Rooman öitä. IT 1960. D: Roberto Rossellini. Fkl / Fh. See above.
There's No Business Like Show Business. Fkl / Fh [2]. I saw the SEA print with the magnetic soundtrack in Filmhuset for the first time with sound. Marilyn is the only reason to see this.

JANUARY 1981, STOCKHOLM

Kagemusha / Kagemusha - varjokenraali. JP 1980. D: Akira Kurosawa. Rialto. A great ironic historical epic
Barnens ö / Lasten saari. SE 1980. D: Kay Pollak. P.C. Jersild. Spegeln. A strong vision of urban anxiety
Elvis - That's the Way It Is / Tämä on Elvis! US 1970. D: Denis Sanders. Guitar: James Burton. When those harsh guitar chords strike Elvis it looks like he gets an electric shock and his original wild voice back.
Mon oncle d'Amérique / Amerikan setä. FR 1980. D: Alain Resnais. Astoria. An interesting experimental fiction film, with the theories of scientist Henri Laborit as the framework.
Blind Husbands. US 1919. D: Erich von Stroheim. Filmklubben / Filmhuset. A good American print. Probably the only surviving example of Stroheim unabridged.
Dressed to Kill / Tappava tunnustus. US 1980. D: Brian De Palma. Festival. Good visual eye, a skill for suspense, and nothing to say.
Foolish Wives / Järjettömiä naisia / Hupsut vaimot. US 1922. D: Erich von Stroheim. Fkl / Fh. A bad Danish print. Even more powerful than B.H., goings-on electrified by a sense of the world epoch.
TV: Hit Service. Kiss: Shandy (1980). Police: Don't Stand So Close To Me. Elvis: Love Me (Ed Sullivan Show 1956). Blondie: Atomic. The Byrds: So You Want To Be A Rock'n'Roll Star. The Shadows: Frightened City (Crackajack 1961).
La città delle donne. Röda Kvarn [3]. I felt that there were some scenes here that were not in the Italian print, and some Italian scenes missing.
TV: Hit Service. Status Quo: What's Your Proposing (1980). Fats Domino: Wait And See (Jamboree, 1957). Manfred Mann: Just Like A Woman. Sally Oldfield: Mirrors. The Vapors: Turning Japanese. McGuinness Flint: Malt And Barley Blues.
Black and Tan. US 1929. D: Dudley Murphy. tv. Duke Ellington
Bizalom / Luottamus / The Trust. HU 1979. D: István Szabó. tv. Too tired to appreciate this
TV: Dokumentärfilmens bästa. Clips: Nanook of the North (Flaherty, 1922), Chelovek s kinoapparatom (Vertov, 1929), New Earth (Ivens, 1934), Night Mail (Wright & Watt, 1936), The River (Lorentz, 1937), The City (Van Dyke & Steiner, 1939)
Hello Sister! / Walking Down Broadway. US 1933. D: nc. [Erich von Stroheim][Alfred Werker, Edwin Burke, Sol Wurtzel]. Fkl / Fst. 67 min version. Some Stroheimian touches left.
TV: Hit Service. Rod Stewart & The Faces: Maggie Mae. Olivia Newton-John: Magic (1980). Jimi Hendrix: Hey Joe. Phil Lynott & Mark Knopfler: King's Call. The Drifters: Down On The Beach Tonight.
The Merry Widow / Iloinen leski. US 1925. D: Erich von Stroheim. Fkl / Fh. A very bad print. His lightest, most fantasy-oriented, strangest. A dark fairyland.
The Wedding March / Häämarssi. US 1927. D: Erich von Stroheim. Fkl / Fh. Presented by Arthur Lennig. The print authorized by EvS with the original record music, left side of image missing because of the soundtrack added in the 1950s. The best existing print. Lennig presented the colour sequence as an extra. - His masterpiece besides Greed. The original magnificent music brings it alive with a strange sense of elevation.
Merry-Go-Round / Elämän karuselli. US 1923. D: Erich von Stroheim & Rupert Julian. Fkl / Fst. A bearable print. A blueprint for The Wedding March, also belongs to the "circus as the world" continuum with Griffith, Lubitsch, Sjöström, Dupont, Chaplin. Conventionalized by the production company.
Queen Kelly. US 1929. D: Erich von Stroheim. Gloria Swanson. Fkl / Fh. Presented by Arthur Lennig. A brilliant print. Maybe because of the brilliance of the print this stays in mind as the visually finest EvS film.
TV: Rock Pop in Concert / Rockkonsert från Wiesbaden (19.-20.12.1980). Roxy Music, Dire Straits, Talking Heads, Mike Oldfield: an hour of each.
Aus dem Leben der Marionetten / Marionettien elämästä. DE 1980. D: Ingmar Bergman. Grand. (1, 2) I was not impressed.
TV: Hit Service. Roxy Music: Oh Yeah. Gerry and the Pacemakers: Ferry Cross The Mersey (the film theme song, 1965). Ellen Foley: Stupid Girl (*). Precious Wilson: Cry To Me (*). Procol Harum: A Whiter Shade Of Pale (Schlager-Kosmorama 1967). Mott the Hoople: Roll Away The Stone.
The Roaring Twenties / Då lagen var maktlös. US 1939. D: Raoul Walsh. James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart. Fkl / Fst.
Germania anno zero / Saksa vuonna nolla. IT 1948. D: Roberto Rossellini. The ruins of Berlin.
Dr. No. Ri-Paraden [2]